Doesn't eat food just snacks

[mylilman]

Hi All,
My 5 year old son, recently stopped (or eats just a little) eating regular food like breakfast, lunch and dinner. All he want to eat is junk like chips, cookies , ice cream.... and he throws a fit , if he doesn't get them. I am really worried. He doesn't eats veggies or fruits at all. I spend a good amount of the day (trying different cuisines) and trying to feed him in different settings, but none of them work, it is the same case at his special day care. Any advise.
Thanks

 

[jsilver256]

How is his weight? That would make a big difference in the approach to use.

 

[mylilman]

How is his weight? That would make a big difference in the approach to use.

His weight according to his peed is good, I am worried that he is not getting the needed nutrition.
Thanks

 

[Mary Terry]

My two cents:

Remove all junk food from your house and don't buy any more.
Give him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The nuts are nutritious.
See if he'll eat whole milk yogurt which you can sweeten with honey or jelly.
See if he'll eat cheese toast.
Give him a daily gummy bear vitamin for children.

Lots of kids go through a stage like that so don't freak out. The vitamins will take care of his nutritional needs for now. He'll eventually grow out of it.

 

[Rodafina]

I agree with everything @MaryTerry said.

Do you communicate with your son verbally? Can you have a conversation with him about why he doesn't want certain foods? Can he understand a firm condition that junk food will not be available as a main food source?

I spend a good amount of the day (trying different cuisines)

What sort of things are you trying? It's a sensible approach, but sometimes simple is better. Sensory issues are definitely something to consider (but also no reason to not be eating healthy foods). For my part, too many different flavors and textures mixed up is revolting. Smells are difficult, too. Sometimes we just have to figure out what textures work for us and prepare healthy foods accordingly. Have you tried smoothies?

Do you have the opportunity to include your son in the preparation of food? Sometimes kids can "buy in" to eating a greater variety of foods if they have some ownership over how it is prepared.

 

[mylilman]

@Mary Terry
Thanks I tried peanut jelly, In fact I tried many things, he just doesn't let them close, some foods he smells and pushes it away. He used to eat before he was diagnosed with ASD. I will try gummy bears today. So far I was successful with mozzarella sticks and FF from Arby's.

 

[mylilman]

@Rodafina thank you. He doesn't understand, he started attending the special day care only for few weeks now, even though he was diagnosed last summer, because of lots of red tape. He now speaks few words and that too in 3rd person. I need to ask him if he has to use the rest room (another big task), he never tells that he needs to go. He just want his chips and cookies and be in his room and color.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

As long as he develops age-appropriately, you don't need to worry too much for now. Of course you should keep an eye on things, but seeing that this started "recently", and not, for example, years ago, you don't need to be all too worried. A lot of kids go through phases like that, where e.g. they only want to eat plain pasta or potato chips. It takes a while until he'd start to develop serious deficiencies. I'd suggest to not panic, talk this through with the pediatrician so a doctor keeps an eye on things too, and see how things go. If he only eats cookies for a whole week, that's okay, at least physically. Of course it's not extremely healthy, but it's also not putting him in immediate danger. At long as he eats something, and he seems to do that. He shouldn't be eating only cookies and chips for the next decade, but for now, you're okay. Still, get the pediatrician on board so his development gets monitored.

 

[Rodafina]

some foods he smells and pushes it away.

Sounds like you are possibly up against some sensory issues. Smell is a major source of food aversion for me. Eating is tough for some of us.

I would encourage you to keep trying new foods without putting yourself through too much stress. It sounds like you are very attentive to your son's challenges and are learning how to communicate with him and meet his needs.

Building communication can sometimes be a big help in unexpected ways. I wonder if he may benefit from the ability to choose his own food (but you decide what the choices are). For example, have two pictures prepared of two things he likes. Show him both pictures and ask him to choose which one he wants. I'm just thinking that many children benefit from having some agency, especially those that have communication difficulties. You could start with mozzarella sticks and french fries and offer him a choice. Sometimes you could include a treat food, but gradually move to healthier choices once he is used to it.

Eating can be difficult. It is an important skill to learn and your little one doesn't have the context yet to understand that we need to learn how to eat in a healthy way. Right now, this challenge is on you, the parent. So, be patient with yourself and utilize your resources (doctors, the teachers at the school, internet forums, etc.).

Good luck to you. I hope you get some useful ideas from others here on the forum.

 

[mylilman]

As long as he develops age-appropriately, you don't need to worry too much for now. Of course you should keep an eye on things, but seeing that this started "recently", and not, for example, years ago, you don't need to be all too worried. A lot of kids go through phases like that, where e.g. they only want to eat plain pasta or potato chips. It takes a while until he'd start to develop serious deficiencies. I'd suggest to not panic, talk this through with the pediatrician so a doctor keeps an eye on things too, and see how things go. If he only eats cookies for a whole week, that's okay, at least physically. Of course it's not extremely healthy, but it's also not putting him in immediate danger. At long as he eats something, and he seems to do that. He shouldn't be eating only cookies and chips for the next decade, but for now, you're okay. Still, get the pediatrician on board so his development gets monitored.

@AuroraBorealis thanks a lot. Thanks everyone for the support. Feel better now.

 

[Dagan]

Lists absolutely help. Start lists of what he will or won't eat, and then start going through the core similarities of such things and more specifically listing those out. Like stated above, it is most likely sensory to one or a combination of degrees, will probably be what you find out. Smell - smell and taste - just taste - possibly just texture (the feel of it) - etc. - if so, make lists according to those, too, of course. You'll end up with a framework of what is "approved of" at the moment (yes, it's likely to change), and you'll better have idea of what other foods fit the formula.

Something else that helped when my kids were little (mostly it was my son that was mega picky), was if you have stores that do a lot of samples days, but also if you have any wide array of foods style buffet restaurants that you trust (i.e. they are clean and pass them health code tests on the regular, haha) because that helped me big time. Even going to Subway / Moe's / Pyro's Pizza kind of places helped a lot. I was constantly making mental notes or seriously putting in things on my phone's notes app.

 

[honeytoast]

Side note on adding new foods - give your son a very small portion of the new food, not a full one. It can be overwhelming to the senses to have a giant serving.

 

[mylilman]

@Dagan thanks for the tips, I forgot , he used to eat at Moe's and now it is just Arby's. One more question I have is , are special kids with picky eating take more time than regular kids with picky habits?

 

[mylilman]

Side note on adding new foods - give your son a very small portion of the new food, not a full one. It can be overwhelming to the senses to have a giant serving.

@honeytoast thank you. Yes I am trying 1/4th of the portion.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

It's normal for kids to go through food fads.

My daughter every now and again, when she was young would fast for long periods, and wouldn't eat anything. It would freak me out.

A nurse recommended putting out a muffin pan, and in each little cup, putting in a different kind of food. Just little things. Raisins, cut up cheese, cut up apples, pretzels, grapes, bananas, tiny sandwiches, or whatever you have in the fridge. Leave it out on the coffee table.

Then the child, as they are running around, playing, every now and again, will stop by the little food station, and pick at whatever looks good to them out of the muffin tin buffet.

So even if they only have a few nibbles of food in a day, at least that's some nutrition.

The important thing is to make sure they aren't losing weight. Some kids have failure to thrive. I have known a couple children who needed ports in their stomachs, to inject meal shakes, because they wouldn't eat otherwise.

But this is not that kind of issue. It's totally common.

Using the muffin tin, you can also judge what flavors and textures that the child may be averse to, as an autistic.

Eventually the child is going to get hungry, and burger or a bowl of cereal, etc, is going to look mighty fine.

As long as your child is keeping weight on, has good energy, and is staying hydrated, it's a totally normal phase. But if you have any concerns, consult your pediatrician.

 

[mylilman]

It's normal for kids to go through food fads.

My daughter every now and again, when she was young would fast for long periods, and wouldn't eat anything. It would freak me out.

A nurse recommended putting out a muffin pan, and in each little cup, putting in a different kind of food. Just little things. Raisins, cut up cheese, cut up apples, pretzels, grapes, bananas, tiny sandwiches, or whatever you have in the fridge. Leave it out on the coffee table.

Then the child, as they are running around, playing, every now and again, will stop by the little food station, and pick at whatever looks good to them out of the muffin tin buffet.

So even if they only have a few nibbles of food in a day, at least that's some nutrition.

The important thing is to make sure they aren't losing weight. Some kids have failure to thrive. I have known a couple children who needed ports in their stomachs, to inject meal shakes, because they wouldn't eat otherwise.

But this is not that kind of issue. It's totally common.

Using the muffin tin, you can also judge what flavors and textures that the child may be averse to, as an autistic.

Eventually the child is going to get hungry, and burger or a bowl of cereal, etc, is going to look mighty fine.

As long as your child is keeping weight on, has good energy, and is staying hydrated, it's a totally normal phase. But if you have any concerns, consult your pediatrician.

@Yeshuasdaughter thanks I will try this one.

 

[honeytoast]

I can't find the research article OP, but one reason why autistic people may be more inclined to eat processed foods, is that it's designed to have the same experience - if that makes any sense lol - it tastes the same, the texture is the same, the smell is the same. Depending on how sensitive our senses are, we can notice slight differences in homecooked meals and/or raw foods like fruits/veggies. I used to be a somewhat picky eater when I was younger and ate a lot of processed foods growing up (still do but am trying to limit it). Processed foods are considered safe, because one rarely has to worry about the changes in food.

 

[Dagan]

If time consumingly picky, then yeah, doing open buffets instead of wait-in-line places like Subway or Moe's will be better. You won't be holding up other customers, if that's what you mean. Been there before, so I understand.

 

[Fino]

Perhaps reward him for eating what you want him to eat and he may come to associate those foods with something positive.

 

[vergil96]

Eating is tough for some of us.

It is. I find a lot of smells offputting too. And textures. And I have lots of GI issues.

I need to ask him if he has to use the rest room (another big task), he never tells that he needs to go.

Perhaps it's due to poor interoception, ability to tell signals from your body such as hunger, thirst, need to go to the bathroom, fatigue. I'm much older and still can't tell when I need to go to the bathroom unless the need is absolutely pressing. What helps with that is routine - scheduling a few times during the day when you just go to the bathroom: doing it before leaving the house, morning, evening, etc.